


No Daydream Could Ever

by mirror_to_the_past



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arguing, Developing Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Family Drama, Friendship/Love, Hero Kel and Aubrey are mentioned but not present, Homophobia, M/M, Mari is a good sister, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, POV First Person, Sleepovers, parent drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29688105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirror_to_the_past/pseuds/mirror_to_the_past
Summary: Most troubles seemed to always lead back to the lake. It was a place of peace and play. Rambunctiousness and refuge. For almost any occasion, if you wanted an escape from the world, the lake clearing would always be there, away from prying eyes. After such an explosion of thoughts and feelings, an escape was all that we needed to cool the tumbling turmoil that festered in our hearts.~~A tenseness at the dinner table- then an argument among the family. Sunny runs from his house for a moment of peace, after once again feeling as though he himself was the wedge between him and his own happiness. Although it may sometimes only feel like a weak salve to his psyche while he was at his lowest moments, Basil's presence was always the way to tie Sunny back down to earth.
Relationships: Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Hero/Mari (OMORI)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 216





	No Daydream Could Ever

**Author's Note:**

> This story is in a first person perspective, from Sunny's POV. Why, you may ask? Not sure. Why not? Just felt like it.
> 
> This story contains elements of homophobia and domestic tension. If that gives you bad vibes or memories that you don't feel like dealing with right now, that's fine. Come back later, or not at all. Whatever's best for you.
> 
> This is an AU where everyone's alive, because when you don't have the looming consequences of *everything* that happened in the canon game looming over you, it offers a lot of room for exploration in other areas, which is exactly what I was doing here. I felt like exploring Sunny's familial dynamic, and what things might have been like in his household, as well as his reactions to it in terms of his character. I was particularly inspired by that one "you are not my son," key room, as well as the small, brief references to Sunny's father throughout the game, such as him being strict with Mari, at least enough for perfectionism to really be instilled in her as an individual. It makes you wonder how things must have been for Sunny.
> 
> Also, I think it's important to mention that this fic takes place at the time that the canon game would normally be taking place. I.e, Basil, Kel, and Aubrey are all 17, Sunny is 16, going on 17 (do not reference the SoM song, or I will die), and Hero and Mari are 19. Also, I am a firm believer of the "game takes place in 2003" standpoint, so that's what we're doing, pals.

It all began during an awkward dinner. I sat next to Basil, who was going to be sleeping over that evening, and across from us at the table sat my and Mari's mom and Mari. As the dining room itself only sported different hues of brown, the lack of conversation, or dull small talk provided by Mom at random points really fit the atmosphere. I wasn't exactly sure what the problem was, since I always have a hard time putting a name to the mood of the room, but I knew there was an undeniable tension that no one was addressing, as well as the distinct feeling of judgement. My father sat at the head of the table, and although he was typically a quieter and broody person, in stark contrast to my bubbly mother, he still had his angry streaks. They always scared me. I couldn't help but stiffen and trail my eyes over to where he sat, assuming that he was the source of the bad feelings lingering in the air.

I gulped. Sure enough, he sat with his eyes somewhat narrowed, tersely lifting leafy greens to his mouth. Every move was decisive. He was thinking about something. I felt his eyes flicker up to me, and I quickly felt my eyes dart to my own plate of food that was somewhat untouched. I couldn't let it stay that way, or Mom will probably notice and say-

"Sunny? You're awfully quiet, and barely eating the delicious meal I made for you! Is everything okay?"

Right on time. I grimace. Now all eyes had shifted to me, some politely, some expectant. If I was a braver person, I'd push this filler question aside and ask what was really going on. If I was a charismatic person, I'd suavely work my way around the cloudy mood, and answer any questions such as that at the drop of a hat. But I wasn't brave. I wasn't suave.

I could feel my tongue dry up in my mouth, and my hands bunched my shorts. I open my mouth. "It's goo-"

"Hey Mom," Mari interrupted peppily. She looked up at me sympathetically as she took a sip of water from her glass. All eyes were on her, now. "Sorry if this isn't a good time, but I was just wondering what we're going to do for Sunny's birthday? It's only a few days away?"

Mom chuckled. "Mari… we can't discuss those things in front of the birthday boy in question… Where's the surprise in that?"

Mari nodded. "I guess, but he's turning seventeen! Sure, I got my license just a few days after my sixteenth birthday, but maybe now he could get around to it!"

Mom seemed to think about it. "Well, Sunny hasn't gotten his permit yet either, so he'd have to take that test first, and then hold onto that for a little while before he can get a license, but I don't see why we can't set the ball rolling!"

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm a little nervous, but I guess I could finally get around to it."

Basil finally chimed in at that. "It's not all that bad, once you get used to it. I was really nervous too, believe me." Basil reached out a hand to cup over mine, and I couldn't help but smile at him gratefully. Amidst the sounds of Mom's utensils clattering against her plate, and Mari scooting her chair up against the floor, I could distinctly hear my father snort from where he sat.

"...You know," Basil started, retracting his hand to adjust his flower hair clip- today the clip was in the shape of a pretty light blue dahlia, it matched his eyes nicely, in my honest opinion- "I'd be fine with giving you pointers, if you'd like. I can't do the driving part with you, but maybe I could help you practice some other way…"

I felt relief wash over my body. "I'd like that… thanks," I replied. Basil beamed at me. While the idea of learning to operate a giant metal death machine was a daunting necessity on the near horizon that I was not looking forward to, having the ever supportive Basil present as an ally through the learning process made me feel much more comfortable than I was a few seconds prior.

That was until I heard my father audibly scoff. I desperately felt the need to say something now, but couldn't bring the words to my throat that would surely open the floodgates. I didn’t want to worry about sustaining some false peace, but I certainly couldn't bring myself to be confrontational directly.

Mari, ever brave, charismatic Mari spoke up, setting her utensils down decisively. "So…" she began, with her trademark, lilted tone I always remember her using when she was about to try to make a point about something. She uses it with me a lot whenever I give her a hard time about getting chores or work done. "What do you think about the idea, Dad? Think it's about time Sunny starts working towards getting his license?"

My father looked up at her with a somewhat glazed over expression, like he was thinking about something else. I knew he wasn't, though. I saw earlier how he kept glancing over here when Basil was talking, so I know he was engaged in the conversation at least a little bit. 

"Oh yeah, yeah. He'll start driving, now. Maybe he can finally get a job."

I chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how to react. Nothing wrong with working, it's just-

"Oh, OK. Why Sunny, though? You've never told me I have to keep a job all of the time."

"We've talked about this, Mari. You're focused on school, and you earn scholarships, so as long as you keep that up, and make sure you help around the house, I see no issue with-"

"But isn't Sunny focused on school, as well?"

Oh no, she was doing the thing again. Mari is so sweet, but she's always acted like she has to be my own guardian angel. I appreciate it, especially when I'm too nervous to stand up for myself beyond passive, sarcastic responses, but I hate it when dad gets his toes stepped on, because he gets so-

"Mari, you know what I mean."

Judgemental.

"What _do_ you mean, dad?"

"Mari, there's no need for that tone, you know. I'm just talking about how you're actively pursuing your education, while Sunny is-"

Oh, here it comes again. I couldn't help but wince in preparation.

"U-um, sorry to interrupt, but Sunny's trying pretty hard in school!" 

Basil? Why was he-

My father just raised an eyebrow, and shifted his attention over to Basil, who had a single trickle of perspiration trickling down the side of his temple. I could feel my heart swell. Basil was never one to be confrontational, somehow even less so than me, as he actively tried to play devil's advocate, or mediate, similar to Hero. To see him rally to my side was touching. I once again was reminded of why he means as much as he does to me.

"Is he really? Because I see him goofing off most of the time, not helping around the house, or much of anything. He was going to learn the violin, but he ended up dropping it after just a few months."

Mari butted in at that. "Dad, that was four years ago, and it was because it was really stressing him out, he needed a break-'

"You didn't let yourself have a break. You kept on working with piano. Although you couldn't do the recital anymore, you went and won several awards for solos. But he gets to fold? Life doesn't work like that. There are many times I wake up tired. I don't want to go to work, but I still do it, because I remember I have to provide for my family." Dad accentuated the word 'family' by spearing a piece of fish on his plate with his fork. "His marks in school are average. He doesn't apply himself."

I felt like melting into the floor. This _again?_ With Basil here? Well, Basil's heard me mention my dad enough to understand the way things worked around here. He was perceptive like that. It just sucked he had to witness it in person. Most of the time, when Basil and the others would stay over, my dad would be busy with something, so no one would really have to be around him. This was an unfortunate abnormality.

"...Everyone does things at their own pace…" Mom tried to airily interject, in order to placate her husband.

"He needs to become motivated, now. The world won't wait for him to catch up. He's going to graduate in just a little over a year. I haven't heard him say anything about even wanting to go to college."

My stomach was squirming as I lowered my head in shame. I hated these talks, but Dad was right. I was completely unmotivated. I was nothing like Mari, who seemed like she had almost everything under control, who was able to push through things even if it was hard. It was much easier for me to just run away. But still, it was unfair how he'd always shove this down my throat, not that I would do anything about it.

"Anyway…" Basil spoke up again, his voice trembling.

Oh please, Basil. Don't get yourself involved for my sake. I deserve it.

"...I don't really see what this has to do with getting a license… with all due respect…" Basil lowered his head, and reached under the table to clammily grab at my hand. It was comforting, to some extent, to see that someone else was as uncomfortable as I felt. His fingers were trembling. It makes sense he'd be like this, he didn't even have any parents to argue or bicker with throughout his childhood. Sure, he had his grandmother, but she promoted an environment of peace, for her own health's sake, rather than one where someone could stretch their own growing ideals through verbal combat. I mean, it still sounded like a peaceful upbringing, though. If I had to choose, I'd take just talking about flowers, baking, and nothing in particular over how much of a failure of a son I was. I certainly wasn't developing any independence or demonstrating any free thought while I sat here and took all of the criticism being directed towards me.

Basil's sweaty grasp reminded me, though, that this was new territory just as daunting as it felt to me, and if he could find the strength to stand up for someone who wasn't even himself, well…

My father shook his head, disapproving. "It has a lot to do with things. Mari used her license at your age," indicating me and Basil, "to drive herself to college prep classes. But as soon as the opportunity presents itself to Sunny, I see you two here," he lifted a hand, and swirled it in the air, gesturing in an irritated fashion towards us ,"getting all excited thinking about going out for a little drive together." The way he said 'together' felt like poison, and it made my skin crawl. I felt Basil get far more tense at my side, gripping my hand harder.

Mom tried her best to diffuse the situation by babbling out something unrelated, but then Mari spoke up again, actually looking somewhat angry, with her brow creased. "Don't bring Basil into this, Dad. And what's wrong with Sunny going out with his friends? I would do that sometimes, when I wasn't busy-"

Dad started to raise his voice. "Oh come on, Mari, use your head! Friends? They're holding hands under the table!" Basil snapped his hand away when my dad said that, so hard that he banged it against the table's underside and winced, and although I guess it was the right course of action after being caught, I felt like my heart snapped in two. It felt like I had been left alone. "I'm sure it was all cute when they were twelve, but now one's sixteen and the other's seventeen. Let's be real."

"Dad, you need to stop!" Mari stood up from her chair. "This isn't fair! Why do you treat Sunny like this? Sunny, you need to say something!" Mari turned towards me desperately. 

I want to cover my face with my hands; I want to run away. I want to berate my dad for the things I've heard him grumble about Basil in the past that remind me too much of the things Basil's cried to me about when he's recounted incidents of bullying throughout his childhood. I want to tell my dad that, although I might agree with him, that I'll never be as good as Mari, that I probably won't amount to much, much less his expectations for his kids, I still deserve some sort of happiness, or to pursue the things that make me fulfilled. The words of different replies I could give swirl through my head, and I only can hear my dad saying something in his terse voice, Mari pleading to me, and I can only feel Basil trembling beside me-

"Shut up!" I stand up from the table, and now both Mari and I are towering over everyone sitting. I can see her wince at my brash explosion of emotion, but what did she expect? I never had a good handle on expressing them anyway…

My dad's brow furrowed greatly, and I could feel a wave of dread wash over me. How did that look alone have as much of a thrall on me as it did?

"You can't…" I took a deep breath. "Just because I can't meet your _lofty_ standards doesn't mean I'm worthless!"

My dad took off his glasses and started rubbing them against his shirt in agitation. I wondered if the kind of pleasant, peaceful happiness he displayed in the family picture on the wall disappeared as I grew, because I felt like I hardly ever saw my father smile as softly as he did within that frame. "I never… said you were worthless. But you are throwing your life away. No ambition, no drive, you're only living to hang out with your friends-"

"Oh, I was like that as a young girl-" Mom tried to add, but was promptly ignored by my father, much to my own agitation.

"- I wouldn't really mind having your friends around, but they seem to be wearing off on you! You're an airhead like that Kel kid, but you won't push yourself towards sports, at the very least. That Aubrey girl is just bad news at this point; her household's making her all aggressive… and don't get me started on Basil, here-"

Basil started to quietly cry beside me.

"Don't bring them into this! You can insult me all you want, but I don't understand why-" I trailed off, desperately trying to find words, and resisting the urge to just run into my room and hide. "Your standards aren't realistic… all of the people you're trying to impress with a perfect family are just as m-messed up as you think we are! Why do you care so much about looking perfect?" My voice was starting to feel scratchy, although no tears came to my eyes. God, this was so stupid. I just want to leave… I'm too tired…

Mari looked sadly at me, then tossed a fierce glare over at my dad. "They're my friends, too. Don't talk about them that way," she said, sternly.

My dad looked between the both of us. "You aren't usually like this, Mari…" he sighed heavily. "I'm not going to argue with my children. I do my best to provide you with a good environment so that you can be successful, and live good, upstanding," his eyes darted between me and Basil, making it clear about what he thinks isn't 'upstanding' to him, "...lives." It made a little bit of my blood start to boil.

"Oh, I see. Why do you feel the need to push a 'good, upstanding' life upon us? Your own life not good enough for you?" I could hear my tone level.

I could also hear my mom try to soothe me back into my seat, but I couldn't bring myself to listen.

"Did your own life turn out to be so much of a failure that you have to try again through your kids?" I felt the words tumble out of my mouth. I wouldn't say that I regretted them, but I regretted the soon-to-be consequence of that biting remark. I could even hear Mari gasp. Basil just continued to sniffle, trying his best to remain calm under the stress.

"Sunny!" My dad yelled, and I winced. There, I said it. I stood up for myself. I want to go now. I want to leave. This is too much pressure and scrutiny.

I could feel myself tumble out of the way as I tried to scramble away from my chair. I was clumsy and tripped over the legs some, and then I tried to dart to the front door. Even my room wouldn't save me now. I can't stay here.

"You can't just walk away-" My dad called after me, but I couldn't take it. Why would I go back? I'll just be hurt more. I can't do this. I fumbled with the door knob and swung the door open into the muggy, summer night.

I could hear my mom call after me worriedly, and then turn to snap at my dad, who snapped back at her. That was probably going to spiral into an argument between them, again. Mari remained silent, obviously understanding it was probably best for me to leave.

I walked into the inky night, and shut the door behind me. Lightning Bugs buzzed about the front lawn, and dew decorated the overgrown turf. I was just about to walk away to, well, somewhere, when I heard the door creak open and shut again. For that brief moment the door was open, I heard loud arguing echoing from inside the house. My fault for instigating it. I couldn't do anything about it now, though.

I turned around to look at the door, and saw Basil sheepishly standing on the porch. His eyes were downcast, and dried tears crusted his cheeks. I felt an even larger wave of guilt wash over me. I really just left him there, didn't I?

"Basil… I, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about you, I was just trying to get out… I'm awful, I'm sorry…" I wish I knew how to console him, but I wasn't really sure how to do that for myself at the moment, either. This whole evening had gone to hell. We were planning on having a movie marathon after dinner, but needless to say, I didn't even want to be near that house at the moment.

"It's alright Sunny, I'm not hurt by that. I understand. It was just a… a few steps away for me to be back with you if I wanted." 

I felt myself tremble. "I don't know why you'd want to be with me right now," I chuckled miserably, "I'm a mess."

Basil pursed his lips grouchily. "That's a stupid thing to say, and you know it. Besides just preferring to be around you anyway, you think I'd want to stick around in there?" He jerked his thumb back towards the house. "Whatever you think of yourself, it's a thousand times better than what Mari's putting up with right now," Basil stopped and sucked in his breath, realizing his grave error as he most assuredly saw how I began to overthink as soon as he said 'Mari.'

"Oh, Basil…" I groaned, crouching to the pavement. "She's having to put up with that just so her little brother can run away. Oh my god, I'm so useless…"

"Stop saying stuff like that." He leaned down next to me. "She can leave too, if she wants. Mari's a big girl now," he said, jokingly.

"No, she's not like that…" I can feel myself spiral as I lift my hands to rumple my fingers in my hair. "She feels this dumb obligation to see things through. She's so kind and diligent, she'll put herself through stuff for anyone who means something to her…"

"Well, then that's her decision, Sunny. Stop acting like everyone's choices are based on your actions."

I felt myself sniffle. "Y'know, you're way more… terse… than you usually are when you're trying to comfort me…"

"S-sorry… I'm just a little angry right now, I guess. At you, for being so hard on yourself, and-"

"...And?" 

Basil took a deep breath and stood up. "I know it's late and all, but can we go for a walk? Please? We're together, so we should be safe."

"You don't even have to ask. I was going to anyway."

"Great!" Basil said, in a very strained sounding voice. He extended a hand to me, and I clumsily tried to pull myself up. He started off on a quick, jittery pace, not letting go. 

Basil really seemed to be stewing, to be pretty much dragging me across the sidewalk- I've always been a slow walker- I tried to clear my throat to get his attention, and he slowed down once I did that, without outwardly acknowledging me.

We walked in a charged silence for a while, until we reached a crosswalk with a stop sign. The only light around us was the bright blinking yellow of the decrepit traffic light over the intersection.

"So…" Basil began softly. "Do you have any ideas about where we should go? Sorry, I didn't really…"

"It's alright, I didn't either. I just wanted 'away from here.'"

"Yeah… same here."

We lingered for a little while longer, shuffling around.

"Hey, Sunny, how's the lake sound?"

"... It's fine."

Most troubles seemed to always lead back to the lake. It was a place of peace and play. Rambunctiousness and refuge. For almost any occasion, if you wanted an escape from the world, the lake clearing would always be there, away from prying eyes. After such an explosion of thoughts and feelings, an escape was all that we needed to cool the tumbling turmoil that festered in our hearts. It didn't take long for us to arrive, our trained feet guided us along decrepit sidewalks and over crackling branches- down a path we'd walked several times before.

As we walked into the clearing, the chirping of insects became louder, and I could feel a little bit of the tightness in my chest ease up. The sound seemed to envelop us like a white noise, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the night-

"Ow," I pulled my hand away from Basil's to slap at my forearm. A mosquito lay smudged on my skin, slain with deadly accuracy.

"Ah. I guess I should have thought of that… it's so humid out… mosquitos are going to be crazy out here…" Basil muttered.

I briskly brushed off the mosquito's corpse. "It's fine." I don't mind it here. "Let's go sit down." It's so calm. "The grass looks soft over there." I pointed towards a springy bed of turf by a large rock. "I don't want to leave just because of some bugs." I don't want to leave at all, to go back…

We settled in the cushiony growth in silence, my body stooped over, my arms around my closely drawn legs, listening to the sounds of the night. Or at least, I was listening, trying to get lost in it, to have it take my mind away. Basil, on the other hand, was clearly musing, as he often does, much to his own detriment. A part of me, selfishly, didn't want to offer him a prompt to voice his thoughts, knowing that I would then be unable to drift away from reality, but I knew I couldn't do that.

"Basil?"

"Hm?"

"You're thinking about something."

"I am."

"And?"

Basil took a deep breath. "I'm sorry…" He began. I wasn't surprised he was apologizing- he does that a lot, but I never could understand how he would connect the dots to his being the problem as he usually did. What did he think he did wrong this time?

Basil played with his fingers, exerting waves of nervous energy as he did so. "I'm sorry that I- I strain your relationship with your dad." I blinked. So that  
was the problem, this time? 

"It's not your fault. He'd be upset with me anyway, even if…" I let the words remain unsaid, although Basil nodded slowly, acknowledging that he understood what I meant. I felt my throat constrict.

"...But still, it's not like I'm making anything easier. I- I keep trying my best not to step on his toes, but I don't think there's anything I can do, anymore. It causes you pain either way."

I feel a wave of sadness wash over me at how desolate Basil's voice sounds. "Basil, even if-" I take a deep breath. "He'd never be happy with me. I just… I just don't match up to the idea of the son he thought he'd get, so he'll always find something," I heard my voice waver, much to my distaste. Every time I think I've come to grips with that fact, I disappoint myself by once again losing my composure when it comes up in conversation, "...something wrong with me."

Basil was close to my side before I had even fully acknowledged my own feelings. Sitting on his knees, he wrapped his arms over my shoulders, crossing his hands as they dangled over my chest. He rested his head on the curve between my neck and shoulder, and nestled closely, making little shushing sounds.

"Basil…" I felt guilt wash over me. "I… I shouldn't be talking to you about this, I'm sorry…"

In his reply, I could hear a sad, cynical smile play a part in the formation of his words. "What, because I've hardly talked to my own parents? Sunny, I don't think you're ungrateful or whiny, if that's what you're worried about. In fact, I'd say that your feelings are more valid than my own. I didn't even really have a parent that I grew up with _to_ disappoint, and my grandmother loved me to the end." Despite his trying to console me, I only felt shame flush my cheeks further. Basil continued: "But you've been trying to please these people you've grown up with from day one, and it's still not working out, no matter how hard you try. Why? Just because you're being you." His arms left their coil around my body, much to my displeasure, but then he pivoted me gently to face towards him. I was sure I looked like a mopey, miserable mess, but he didn't seem to look at me distastefully for it. Basil stared at me intently with his piercing aqua gaze, his light brown brows furrowed. "If you have to go so far as to change yourself in order to make someone happy, then you're not the problem. You've done all you can."

I felt tears prick at my eyes, although I tried to fight them back. He was right, of course, as I usually felt he was when it came to things like this. But when did he get so introspective? He'd always been more mature than me, even when we were younger, but now I couldn't help but feel like I had really missed some defining moment of growth from him throughout the years. Surely, something like this wouldn't have escaped my notice? I had to mention it to him, I couldn't help myself.

"Basil," I cringed at my cracking voice. "When did you get so smart?" My eyes widened as I recognized my error immediately, which I'd say is better than usual for me. "N-not that you weren't smart before! I meant wise! That's a better word…"

Basil chuckled and pulled me into a hug. I settled my face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his comforting, cozy, and familiar scent. I cursed him for being one of the only things that made me feel sentimental. It was one of the benefits and detriments of knowing someone so close to me for such a long time. I brought my arms up to wrap around him, tightly clutching the back of that ugly white polo shirt he was wearing. He had such bad taste in clothing, although I supposed that was an insult to me as well, considering we dressed somewhat similarly. Oh well. It was a good thing his face and enthusiastic ramblings would grab my attention over his fashion sense.

I realized that my mind was drifting again when I heard Basil murmur how it was probably getting late, snapping me back to reality. I clutched him tighter. "...Just a little longer, please. I don't want to go back just yet."

"...That's fine. Whenever you feel ready, Sunny. I'm with you."

Basil probably didn't want to go back either, but he wouldn't say it. He always would focus so diligently upon me, often to the point of ignoring his own needs. It still made me a bit uncomfortable at times, to be honest. I suppose I didn't feel… important… enough to deserve such tender attention and care. On the bright side, to balance out his excessively doting disposition, my innate "every man for himself" philosophy would often do Basil a favor, as I would always, every now and then, remind Basil to tell the world to screw off, and take care of himself. An ideal setup, I supposed.

We had never officially acknowledged the… dynamic … that had begun to flourish between us. It felt like something that didn't need to be said. We both understood the layers of what we had grown to feel about each other over time. We had just never pursued anything, or made it known to anyone else, or even the air around us, refraining from saying the few simple words that would pin down what was swirling about us. Although I felt such warmth for and from him now, I felt unsure about saying anything to Basil now, especially after my father's… outburst. That, on top of the small, sleepy town of Faraway having a dense religious community and whatnot, I just couldn't help but feel unsure of… many things. It wouldn't do us any favors, I tried to convince myself, pushing down the cranky and spontaneous internal voice that nagged, "when, then?"

I sighed outwardly and unintentionally, causing Basil to shiver. "S-sunny, that tickles…" I blushed.

"Sorry, Basil. I didn't mean to, I was just thinking."

"I can see that," he laughed. "I thought you fell asleep for a second. Hey, why don't you come here…" He moved me out of our embrace, and laid me flat on the ground. Basil then scooted down, and propped himself up on his side to look at me. "It's a nice night out, so we could watch the sky and talk, if you'd like."

"...Basil, you're facing me. Sky's up there."

A cheeky grin spread across his face that one would usually expect to see on Kel. "Hm. Really Sunny?" He almost sounded genuinely surprised, but I knew better. "How about that?"

I rolled my eyes at him good-naturedly, and then rolled to face him in turn.

"Sky's boring, anyway. Who'd want to watch that?"

"Yeah, it's only an enormous number of stars that are constantly shifting from our point of view as we spin around the sun. No big deal."

"Yep. No big deal at all." Compared to y- nope, absolutely not, brain. I refuse to complete such a cheesy thou-

"Compared to you, at least."

"Oh my god, Basil."

"I won't apologize for that one."

"Of course you won't. You and Hero should have a competition to see who can be the cheesiest person around."

"I don't know… I think he'd win, Sunny, hehe. I think that's an unfair competition."

"I wish I could've taped what you _just_ said five seconds ago, because that's my counterargument to your statement."

"You sound like such a scientist."

"Bold of you to assume I'm smart enough to go into something like… what was that new term, STEM?"

"Booo, thumbs down for self-deprecating humor, Sunny. We talked about this."

"Basil, what jokes can I make, then?" Jokes that jabbed at myself accounted for a good portion of my sense of humor, so I wasn't sure what I'd do without them.

"You'll figure out something," he dismissed. "Also, I thought it was still SMET. Just goes to show what I know. Science, Mathematics, erm…"

"...Engineering and Technology." I finished for him. "Yeah, the letters all mean the same thing. They just changed it because 'SMET' sounded and looked too much like 'smut.'"

"Sunny!"

I snickered. His face looked like my mom's when she was offended by something she considered crude. "But that's the reason!"

"You're just so… forthright."

"You sound so old."

"My point is proven."

I laughed and scooted closer to him. It was so nice, just being here and talking like this. Basil never expected anything of me. I sometimes felt bad about it, like I was doing something wrong by not trying hard enough as a friend. Unless he was really, really good at hiding it, though, I felt confident enough to say that he was content with my levels of involvement in our friendship, and didn't feel like the scales were tipped unevenly. At the very least, I trusted him enough to give at least a little hint if I was _really_ stepping on his toes.

All of the sudden, I felt his fingers weave through mine, making me flush. It was a common enough interaction between us, but it felt more intimate here in a way that caught me off guard.

"Sorry," he said shyly, "You were looking so far away again, so I just did what I could to bring you back to Earth."

"Well, it worked."

"Hehe. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing much. Just feeling kind of hungry. Didn't eat much of my dinner."

Basil raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Alright, then." He definitely didn't believe me. I lifted my free hand, while Basil allowed his eyes to wander over the ripples in the lake water behind me, and wove it in with his other hand that was still out of my grasp.

Basil yawned. "For someone who wasn't thinking about much in particular, you seem pretty focused on me…" he said, innocently.

"I know, right? It's really weird."

Basil giggled again, then sighed. "Sorry to be a downer, but do you think your dad will want me back in your home after, you know…"

"Well, on the bright side, we left before he could tell us that you weren't welcome anymore."

"That's a bright side?"

I deliberately ignored his comment. "Also, knowing him, once he finishes arguing with mom, he'll probably get to bed- he usually goes to sleep at around 10:00-ish, so staying up later to argue would sap a lot of energy out of him. Mom will probably be watching some drama on the TV, like Dawson's Creek or something, so we'd only have to talk with her if she's not too busy crying over whatever's going on on the show."

"Your attention to detail with things like this scares me."

"But it's helping us out here, isn't it?"

"I guess so…" Basil smiled at me, making my insides twist. I couldn't help but snuggle close to him. I closed my eyes, just enjoying the soft sound of his breathing next to me.

"Sunny…"

"Mhm?"

"We really should go to your home…"

Ugh, now? Just a little longer…

"I don't want to move." My voice muffled as I buried my face into his shoulder.

"Sunny, I already let us stay a little longer than we probably should've."

"Stop being so responsible."

"I'm not really _that_ respon-"

"Yes you are."

Basil sighed, and sat up, pulling my deliberately limp body with him. "Sunny, work with me here…"

I did not 'work with him' out of spite alone. I will not be dragged to go to where I would not like to, thank you very much.

Basil leaned forward, and whispered into my ear. "You know, I was thinking we could just share your bed, since it sounds like your mom will probably be using the couch, and-"

"Sold." I shot upwards, ready to walk home. A warm, comfortable bed… plus a warm, comfortable Basil… there was no loss to that proposal.

Basil laughed and stumbled as he tried to stand, but had his legs fall asleep.

"Oh no…" he tutted.

"What's wrong?"

"My shirt got grass stains on it… that's going to be annoying to get out… I'll just have to hope it doesn't get permanently stained, or I'll just have to go get a new one," He sighed.

"Oh, what a shame." Tonight was turning into a double victory.

~~

Sure enough, when we finally arrived at my home again (we took our time), my bedroom light was the only one in the house. I guess Mari was still here. We carefully creaked open the front door, which was still unlocked. Sure enough, there was Mom, sitting on the couch. She wasn't watching Dawson's Creek, but it looked to be some other equally sappy show in which the main leads tearfully stared at each other, hand in hand. I heard some sniffling issue from my mother, in response. Basil and I tiptoed through the living room, heading towards the hallway door, but were stopped by the sound of my mom loudly clearing her throat. Oh no, she was totally mad at us for being out so late. Basil and I slowly spun around with equally sheepish expressions- to face her.

Although the noise she had made was agitated sounding, her face was anything but. Mom looked concerned. Her lips were slightly puckered, and her round face matched the roundness of her eyes as she looked at the two of us sadly. I felt my heart pang when I saw, even in the darkness, how her eyes were rimmed with red. I was certain that the show wasn't all at fault.

"...Are you boys alright?" She asked, softly.

I simply nodded, wanting to head to sleep, as I suddenly felt very drained. Basil, the more conscientious of us two, responded softly in kind.

"Yes, we are. Thank you." He seemed to hesitate before saying: "Um… what about you?"

My mom folded her arms, and looked away, pursing her lips and sniffing. "...You're a very sweet boy, Basil. I'm alright. I'm sorry you had to be a part of that."

Basil shook his head. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"Well, just because you don't mind doesn't mean you should have to put up with things like that. It's not right," my mom huffed before she stopped herself. "...Sorry."

An awkward silence stretched between us. "You boys go head upstairs. I think Mari's packing an overnight duffel. She's going to stay with Hero." I swore I heard her mumble a contemptuous 'I can't blame her,' under her breath.

We mumbled affirmations of acknowledgement and wished her goodnight, before slipping away upstairs.

Sure enough, when we knocked on the door, and was greeted with a soft but terse 'you can come in,' Basil and I saw Mari stuffing clothes and toiletries into a hefty overnight duffel. She stopped her packing when she saw it was us, setting down her toothbrush that was in her hand.

"Hi, Mari…" I suddenly was reminded of how I darted from the house to leave her to deal with our parents on her own, and felt awkward.

Mari, however, seemed relieved as she sighed deeply and walked over to me, wrapping me into one of her gentle hugs. Why was everyone worrying so much over me? It's not like I was the only one who went through anything troubling tonight…

"I'm glad you're okay, Sunny." Her words washed over me like a cool breeze on a hot day. She wasn't angry at me. What a relief.

"When you ran off like that, I was worried you might get into trouble, but," her soft eyes turned towards Basil, who was watching the both of us with fondness in his eyes. "I'm glad to see you had Basil with you." She smiled, and moved to give Basil a small hug as well. 

She cleared her throat as she pulled away, reminding me of my mother who used the same tactic just earlier to snag attention about a change of topic. Although Mari had my father's dedication, rather than my mother's lax nature, both my mother and Mari carried the same carefree energy in conversation.

"As you can probably tell, I'm packing up." She stared down at her duffel. "It's just for tonight, though, don't worry. I, uh… I called up Hero, and he said I could stay at his dorm with him today. Apparently his roommate is out for tonight…." she motioned to the flip phone that lay nestled on her covers.

Her eyes darted uneasily, but caring Mari, as always, still made her offer: "It's not going to be very roomy, I promise you that, but it'd be totally fine if you both wanted to hitch a ride with me over there…" her voice trailed off, leaving the possibility open.

Basil and I glanced at each other incredulously. 

"No… you can go," I told her.

"Yeah, you two go have fun." Basil said with a smile. I elbowed him. He winced.

Mari looked between the both of us. "Are you sure? I don't think Hero would mind, if that's what you're worried about. He, uh… he knows, to some extent, about stuff that went down, so I'm sure he'd want you both to feel as safe and as comfortable as possible."

I felt a little uneasy, wanting to know just to what 'extent' Mari had talked to Hero about the things that my father had said, but I pushed the thought away. I didn't need that on my plate right now.

"No, really, we'll be fine," I assured her. Basil nodded exaggeratedly at my side.

"I'm sure things will smooth over in the morning, anyway!" Basil chirped out. I flinched. Basil's optimism was sweet, but not entirely true in this case, if past incidents were any indicator. Mari shared a look with me that showed we shared a similar passing thought.

"Well, in that case… I trust you both." Mari relented. However, she perked up suddenly and turned towards her neat packing job, carefully removing folded clothes, and reaching for an item nestled at the bottom of her duffel. She pulled out a notebook that was adorned with all sorts of small, dainty doodles, and flipped through page after page of clean handwriting to a blank sheet of paper. She opened the rings on the binder, and scribbled a number with a pen she had with her onto the sheet. She folded it and handed it to me, patting my hand as she laid it there.

"That's the number for Hero's landline. You can leave a message there if you want to get a hold of either of us." She considered her words for a moment. "But preferably me. Please talk to me," she looked like a begging puppy.

"We will," Basil promised on our behalf.

"If we need to," I added.

Basil scoffed at my coldness, and Mari laughed softly at us both, and ruffled my hair like I was twelve again.

"Maaari-," I whined, like I was twelve again.

She retracted her hand, and looked at the both of us with eyes that were suddenly growing misty. "You two… be there for each other, okay?" Her words caught us off guard, but Basil quickly regained himself.

"I will, Mari. Don't worry."

Well, now I felt bad for being slow-

"Um, yeah. Don't worry."

Mari turned to Basil. "I- I know he won't apologize to you, so I'll just have to do it myself, but I'm sorry for the stuff my dad says about you. You, of all people, don't deserve that." She fiddled with her hands. "I know you have Sunny's best interests at heart, so… just keep being there for each other, no matter what other people say, alright?"

Ugh, I was feeling suddenly choked up. Mari had a tendency to suddenly make me feel emotional without any warning. The _other_ person who could make me feel sentimental very easily. I wouldn't cry, though-

I paused as I heard a sniffle to my right.

Basil had tears leaking from his eyes, and trickling down his cheeks.

"Don't worry, Mari. I- I will."

Oh no, if I was feeling uncharacteristically sentimental, I can't begin to imagine what Basil was going through right now. He must be imagining the names of all of our eventual flower children we'd have in the house we'd grow old in, or something ridiculous like that.

Mari pulled the three of us in for another brief hug, then turned away briskly and piled in the last few things she would need into her duffel. She lifted the bulky bag by its strap onto her shoulder, and marched towards the door.

"Well, on that note, I'm gonna head out. Any messages you want me to give to Hero? Last chance…"

I snickered inwardly, the conversation we had earlier and Basil's hypothetical thoughts fresh on my mind. "So there's this sappiness competition that I think-" Basil put his hand over my mouth, and loudly wished Mari goodbye. She seemed confused, but amused, and waved at the both of us before shutting the door behind her. I stuck my tongue out and licked Basil's hand in revenge for being stifled.

“Yuck! Sunny, I thought that was something you’re supposed to stop doing at age ten!”

“Well, we’re also ‘supposed to’ stop holding hands at twelve…” I said, in my own monotone rendition of a persnickety tone.

“I get it, but still…” Basil wiped his tainted hand off on my shirt. “I’m going to go change,” he said, reaching for his own duffel that he left by my bed hours earlier. “Stop being gross by the time I get back.” I stuck my tongue out teasingly at Basil for this, causing him to roll his eyes at my double meaning before he exited to the bathroom. When Basil returned, I had settled into my bed already, the covers pulled over my face, after donning a simple black t-shirt and sweats. Basil and Hero were the only people I knew that actually wore matching pajama tops and bottoms when they went to sleep, which meant they both had something in common- they acted so _old._ Of course, acting old also meant they were quiet and gentle, so I supposed that wasn’t too bad of a trade-off. Mari and I certainly benefited from those traits.

I could hear Basil’s soft footsteps draw nearer, and he gently wrested my cocoon of a blanket from my form so he could slide onto the mattress at my side. I growled as I was disturbed and made aware of my surroundings.

Basil quietly giggled. “You sure got comfy quick.”

“...nd then you messed it up.” I mumbled into my pillow.

Basil wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, his warmth enveloping me more than any blanket could. “What about now?”

“...better.”

“Hehe.”

I suddenly felt a wave of anxiety flower from within myself, as such waves would typically do when I would lay myself down to sleep. What if either of my parents walked in on us in the morning? I didn’t think it was likely my dad would, as he typically went to do work tomorrow, a Saturday, and there was little reason he would come to check up on me, but it was still a possibility. My mom, on the other hand, had a propensity to ignore shut doors, as well as common etiquette of knocking. I gulped. I probably should have just asked to spend the night at Basil’s house.

“...Sunny, are you worried about something again?”

“Stop doing that.” I was referring to his near-psychic ability to tell when something was wrong with me. I couldn’t get a moment of keeping my thoughts to myself when he was around. “You keep reading my mind.” How did he know, anyway? I wasn’t that outwardly expressive.

“Sorry… It’s just- you tensed up, so I thought…” Oh, well, that was a pretty logical explanation, rather than Basil being a secret psychic. I conceded, and admitted to him my anxieties, although I knew what his response would be.

“If it stresses you out, I could take Mari’s bed instead…?”

No, that’s the exact thing I didn’t want.

“No. Please stay here.” I reached around him and squeezed him close. “Just ignore me. I worry too much.”

“No, it’s alright, Sunny. I worry too,” His large eyes widened further as his eyebrows turned upwards. “I just don’t want to make things uncomfortable for you…”

“Basil. We already talked about this,” I mumbled.

Basil sighed. “Yes, you’re right. I just don’t know what to do.”

“...Me neither.”

“If it helps, I usually wake up pretty early anyway.”

“Yeah, I know. You weird morning person.”

“It’s nice to wake up with the sun. I feel like half of the day is gone, otherwise.”

“Well, I like the nighttime, anyway, so I don’t mind.”

We lay there for a while in silence, before Basil eventually spoke up again. “You know, Sunny… what I said back there to Mari… I meant it. No matter what people say about you, if it’s because of me or not, I’ll always lo- I’ll always be there for you.”

My chest warmed, and I could even see in the darkness that Basil’s face flushed. I noticed that he chickened out again, but it’s not like I was any better. It didn’t matter to me, though. He might as well have said it. I didn’t mind. Leave it to Basil to be the one ready to take the leap before anything was even out in the open. I giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Basil looked worried now, and I realized that he was probably feeling pretty vulnerable at the time that I laughed. Whoops.

“Nothing. You’re just really nice.” ‘Nice’ was such a weak word for him. Basil was ardent and steadfast to those he cared about, even when he’d feel himself waver. He didn’t need to voice his loyalty. I knew. I knew he’d never leave my side. If only I could be the same way for the people _I_ cared about. 

I withdrew my hand from behind his back to play with his shaggy- and messy- blonde hair. Basil leaned into the touch, and let out a soft breath into my hand. “Sunny…”

“Let’s go to sleep. I’m tired.”

“...Alright. See you tomorrow.”

Spontaneous Sunny kicked in again, and I felt the urge to give him a peck to seal the deal right then and there. I didn’t, but I wouldn’t deny that the thought of what could have happened plagued me for the whole week following that night. For now, I was content with Basil and I just nestling together in my snug bed. As the night waxed on, I still felt myself lie awake, with the snoozing flower boy now latched onto my chest. My eyelids were heavy, but I insisted on being stuck in the lucidity of the state of being between a dream and a daydream. In time, I felt the confines of my room fade away, and it was as if I was still underneath the starry and faraway sky that drifted above the lake. In the daydream, things were different- the stars were brighter, the mosquitos had all perished “tragically” and were no more, and the dewiness of the grass didn’t stain our clothes. All of those fanciful insertions aside, one thing remained the same- Basil lying peacefully in my arms, and ever at my side, never to be taken away by unknowns. No daydream could make that more beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> I finally worked towards writing a more expansive piece I was determined to actually publish this time. Although I've been wanting to write from Sunny's perspective for a while (he's my favorite), every road only led me to writing from Basil's. It took me a couple days, because I kept wanting to tweak it, and I sure hope I didn't miss any grammatical errors, but I've done what I can. I think this acts as a step forward for me. Not everything that I work on is going to be perfect, even if I'd like it to be, and to be fair, when writing acts as the only hobby and medium of self-expression and creativity I have available, it might be better to allow me to enjoy myself. Maybe I'll get around to reviewing the other things I have rotting in my docs, but 'meh.' Too much work. Got studying to do, books to read (If you haven't checked out Madeline Miller's works, you ought to do so), and my own original piece to work up the energy to develop in the meantime.
> 
> \--Edit: I know I just said in this note that I wouldn't worry as much about being a perfectionist, but I JUST noticed that I used "Sunny" when I should have used "I" in a part, and I HAD to fix it. If this edit bumps my fic up to the top in most recent, apologies.--


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